Content Warning: Eating Disorders. If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677.
Emma Oldfield’s one-woman show Keep It Down is set to make its debut at this year’s Camden Fringe Festival.
Directed by Kierath Jandoo, this semi-biographical story will explore the unspoken realities of eating disorders, addressing the stigma in a way that’s both informative and approachable.
The play follows Daisy, a 23-year-old single woman with a history of shady one night stands and failed relationships. However, as she navigates the mediocracy of normal life, dating, working and socialising, she hides a deep rooted problem. Since the passing of her mum, she developed a new coping mechanism—while it’s not helpful, it’s the one she knows best. Her obsession with food soon proves to be all-consuming as she struggles to balance work, relationships and a social life.
But breaking this unhealthy habit is no walk in the park when living in a society which thrives on diet culture.
Described as “a wonderful piece of art” which is both “funny” and “real”, Keep It Down blends light and dark humour in this intimate portrait of what it’s truly like to live with an eating disorder.
Writer Emma Oldfield will also be starring in the production, with performances from Monday 15 August to Thursday 18 August at The Hope Theatre. Alongside her acting and writing work, she is also a publicist at Channel 4, previously working for the BBC.
Tickets are available for purchase at The Hope Theatre website.
Words by Katie Heyes
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